Piano-action



(No Model.)

H. BBS-CHER, Jr.

PIANO ACTION.

Patented Dec. 29, 1891.

I WITNESSES: I/VI/E/VTOI? I %/M.W By V/QM W I ATTOR/VEN,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BESCHER, JR, OF BROOKLYN, NElV YORK.

PIANO-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,149, dated December29, 1891.

Application filed April 25, 1891. Serial No. 390,392- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY BESOHER, J r., of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Piano-Actions, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improvement in piano-actions, and has for itsobject to pro vide an action in which the usual spiral spring employedbeneath the fly is dispensed with, and to so construct the fly that itwill be in position at all times to quickly engage with the hammer-butt,thus making the action an exceedingly fine repeating one.

Another object of the invention is to so improve the bridleconnectionbetweenthe butt and the fly as to economize both in labor andmaterial.

A further object of the invention is to construct the whip from onepiece of molding, thus lessening the labor upon that portion of thevaction and increasing its strength, the ordinary whip being .bored andslotted and made of several pieces.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination oftheseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointedout in the claims.

a Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures and letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved action, showing the hammerat rest. Fig. 2 is a similar view, illustrating the position of thehammer just after having struck a string, and Fig. 3 is a side elevationand edge view ofa portion of the bridle connection between the butt andthe fly.

The key 10 is pivoted upon the base 11 of the instrument-frame in anysuitable or approved manner, and near the outer end of the key a jack 12is-securely bolted, and a link 13, pivoted in the rear endof the jack,is also pivoted in the whip 14, which is horizontally located above thekey. The whip 14 is made from one piece of molding and is provided atone side of the center upon its upper face with spaced ears 15. Upon theupper face forward of the cars a cushion 16 is located, and a check 17is held in position by means of a rod 18, attached thereto and to theupper surface of the whip near its forward end. The whip near its innerend is fulcrumed upon an extension 19 of the main action-rail A, whichrail is usually attached to brackets B, one of which is illustrated, thesaid brackets being secured at their lower ends upon the bottom 11 ofthe frame, and at the upper end of the brackets the usual hammer-rest Cis secured. The inner end of the whip carries a pin 20, which engageswith the cushioned lower surface of the damperlever 21, the said leverbeing spring-pressed and fulcrumed in the ordinary manner upon the mainaction-rail. At the upper end of the damper-lever 21 any approved formof damper 22 is secured, adapted for engagement with a string 23. Thelower end of the fly 24 is pivoted between theears 15 of the whip 14,and

the fly at its lower end is provided with a forward extension 24,adapted when a key is pressed to engage with the cushioned surface 16 ofthe whip. The butt portion of the fly is straight, butthe upper endportion thereof is inwardly and upwardly curved, as illustrated at 2 1in such manner as to normally engage with the butt 25 of the hammer 26.The hammer may be of any suitable or approved construction, and the butt25 is fulcrumed in arms 27, secured upon the forward portion of the mainaction-rail. The forward lower edge of the hammer-butt is provided withtwo angular faces a and b, the said faces being cushioned, and a cushiond is located at or near the inner end of the face 1), against whichcushion the upper curved end of the fly rests when the hammer is in aposition of rest. The hammer-butt is provided with the usual catcher 28,adapted when the hammer is brought into action to engage with the check.

The bridle connection between the hammerbutt and the fly is of peculiarconstruction,

'and consists of a spring-hook 30, which is secured to the forward faceof the fly at the junction of the straight portion with the curved upperportion thereof, the said springhook being adapted to extend upwardlyand forwardly at an angle to the fly.

section of the bridle consists of a strap 31, (illustrated in detail inFig. 3,) which strap The other v at its lower end is provided with aneye 32, adapted to be passed over the hook, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,and the opposite end of the strap is usually secured in the hammer-buttby entering it into the recess in the butt occupied by the shank of thecatcher. This bridle, comprising the spring and strap, maintains the flyat all times in a position to quickly engage with the butt of thehammer, thus making the action an exceedingly fine one and rendering theoperation of trilling very easy of accomplishment, as after each blowthe spring throws the fly back in posi' tion to execute another.

The release of the fly is regulated through the medium of a set-screw33, located in the regulating-rail 34, the said set-screw being adaptedto engage with the extension 2i of the fly.

It will be observed that, as heretofore stated, the whip may be readilymade from one piece of molding and that it is not weakened by havingslots produced therein extending through, as in the ordinary whip, andthat the spring usually interposed between the whip and the fly isentirely dispensed with. Again, it is evident that by curving the fly inthe manner shown and described it is at all times beneath thehammer-butt, and thereby quickly responds to the action of the key, andit is likewise evident that the complicated bridlestrap and bridleconnection ordinarily employed are also dispensed with, and by reason ofthe substituted constructionnamely, the spring 30 and the strap 3lthebutt may be readily and conveniently disengaged from the fly at any timeor as speedily connected again therewith.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a piano-action, the combination,with the Whip,the action-rail, and the hammerbutt pivoted upon said rail, said buttbeing provided with a shoulder upon its under face, of a fly pivotedupon the whip, the said fly at its upper end being curved in directionof the action-rail and the upper extremity of the fly being located inengagement with the shouldered portion of the hammer-butt, and a bridleconnection uniting the hammer-butt and the fly, the said connectionconsisting of a spring-hook attached to the fly at its forward side andextending upwardly in front of the concaved upper surface, and a strapsecured to the hammer-butt and provided with aloop end to receive thespring-hook, whereby the fly is maintained at all times in a position toquickly engage with the hammer-butt and the action is renderedverysensitive, as specified.

2. In a piano-acti0n, the combination, with the whip, the action-rail,and the ham merbutt pivoted to the rail and provided with a shoulderedunder face, of a fly pivoted at its lower end to the whip, provided witha forwardly-extending spur at its lower end adapted to engage with acushion located upon the whip, the upper end of the fly being rearwardlycurved in direction of the action-rail to an engagement with theshouldered portion of the hammer-butt, and a bridle connection betweenthe fly and the hammer-butt, comprising a spring-hook attached to thefly near the commencement of its curve at its forward edge, and a strapsecured to the hammer-butt, having an eye formed in its lower end toreceive the hook, substantially as shown and described.

HENRY BESCHER, JR.

Witnesses:

JEssE J. DAVIS, RUDOLPH SoI-IMIDT.

